The first thing we do when we get a phone call or email is talk to the tenant and determine whether the problem is an emergency. If it requires immediate attention, we will work quickly to get the problem taken care of, whether that means calling the fire department or a plumber or whatever it takes. If it’s not an emergency, we’ll try to take care of the problem over the phone. If we can do that, it saves you a lot of money on repairs and it keeps the tenant happy because the issue is resolved immediately. For example, a tenant might call and report there is no power in the kitchen in several outlets. Instead of calling an electrician, we will walk the tenant through how to re-set a GFI or two. Or perhaps it’s a garbage disposal issue that only requires that the re-set button be pushed. If the tenant smells gas or notices a water leak, we refresh their memory on how to shut off the valves for the water or the gas main until we can get someone out there.

When your property has a repair that needs a professional, we call our vendors to get estimates. We gather price estimates and timelines so we know how long the repair will take. Then we contact the property owner with this information and make a plan on what the next steps should be. The goal is always to get your repairs done as quickly as possible.

We coordinate and oversee everything on behalf of our owners. We make sure the vendor makes an appointment with the tenant and we confirm the work is done and the tenant is happy. Usually we’ll take pictures of the repair job to send to the owner so everyone is comfortable that the work was handled properly and done well. It’s very important to handle repairs efficiently and keep tenants happy. If a basic repair takes a week or two, you’re going to have an unhappy tenant and probably a vacancy at the end of the rental period.